7th Month

Where does the time go? I look around me and all of these babies that i know are turning a year old and Rylen is right on their heels. It seems just yesterday that I cradled his tiny little body home from the hospital... so afraid of everything that i might do wrong. Well, I'm sure we've done plenty wrong, but i know we've done plenty right too. Rylen is an amazing little boy. Turning 7 months and just antsy to get mobile. He is consistently rocking on his hands and knees and rolling from back to belly. He even moved a knee forward just yesterday, so i know crawling is just in his reach. His hair is getting a lot longer, yet still uniform all over. Everyone continues to ask us if we cut his hair. Nope! Just perfect from the beginning (no bias there! ha!) Rylen smiles and laughs all the time. He is also really exercising his vocals and moving beyond just the Oooos and Ahhhs. He has also started this, at times very annoying, screech/scream. He thinks it is funny. For us, sometimes, not so much. I try to just reinforce the "mama" and "dada" hoping he finds that noise more intriguing. It rarely works. I hope this is just a stage.

We finally got his dresser/changing table for his room and his room is finally coming together. I was hoping to get a color close to his crib color and to my surprise it matched almost perfectly! Rylen and Robby put it together this last Friday night. Rylen tried to help with the directions. I'm not sure if he helped, or if Robby just wasn't following. But in true Rylen fashion, he solved all problems by eating it.



Saturday night we put together our new office furniture. It fits so much better in this room and hopefully will be a little more open when Rylen is in here with me. Robby did a great job getting it all together and I know he is enjoying the extra space as well. We will all be much more productive.



Rylen is also consistently eating solids now. A vegetable and fruit every day along with his milk. It keeps his system in check. We are trying to teach sign language with them as well.

Rylen has also made some huge improvements with his sleeping. He still takes four 45 minute naps a day and goes to bed around 9:30 to get up at 8:00a. This past week he has gone to bed at night and at naps without any rocking. We have just laid him down and he moves around a little bit and then goes to sleep! AMAZING! I hope THIS isn't just a stage!



Rylen and I visited our friend Jennifer Conrad (Grumpp) and her son Luke late in the month. He is almost a year old and Rylen and Luke got to play while the moms got to have some adult conversation. WONDERFUL! Jennifer Felder also came to visit us and mommy got MORE adult conversation and Rylen got a lot of attention too.

Our family as a whole is doing well. We are anticipating Rylen's new cousin at the end of February with my brother Christopher and his wife Nancy Lynn. They are keeping the gender a surprise and I am just antsy to find out! Robby is continuing to lose weight as we continue with our diet. He has lost over 30lbs so far and we are truly loving the lifestyle. Robby may try to add some fish back in pretty soon. Me, on the other hand, am feeling better than ever. We slacked a little bit in the dessert area for the superbowl and my elbows and hands started hurting a bit within the hour. amazing what unhealthy food can do to you. So, it is back to eating rice and beans to clean my system out again. I can consistently play with Rylen and lift him over my head. The problems that i have now, i remember having issues with while i was on the medication before. So, i have done nothing but get better over the past 3 months. I will be having a rheumatologist appointment in February. It will be interesting to find out what she thinks.

Robby is also starting to train for the MS150. Riding is definitely something I miss, but it is just not in my schedule right now. Rylen and I will just have to support Traveling Light and Robby as they ride to Austin in April. Robby's summer plans also include going to Hungary this year. Rylen and I will, of course, stay here in the states. Possibly traveling to Indiana to visit family for the 4th. I know this trip is important to Robby and it is important to the children we touch there. So I am 100% behind him.

Well, this month has been mostly free of any crazy drama and I am relieved to say that. We are just growing more and more every day. We love you all!